Avasa by name, Avasa by nature
by JordeeyPordeey
Summary: Ava has had a hard life. Shes isolated and alone and lots of things have happened that she can't help but she carries on fighting. But when the "revolution" comes and she is forced into hiding with Jeb and the brothers who put her up for adoption and kept her twin sister she's torn and confused by the enigma that is love. Various POVs, first one, I don not own the Host xx
1. Chapter 1

Avasa O. Kennedy has had a difficult life. No more, no less.

When her birth mother found out she was pregnant there was no other choice, she was to be adopted. The family has great money issues and with two children already they couldn't stand the thought of another child suffering their struggle, they filed the paperwork immediately.

When given the selection of couples who wanted to adopt they were overwhelmed, but they had one key term in their mind: money the family must have money, to give the child everything they could not. They found a promising couple, Bob and Maureen Kennedy.

Bob was the closest thing to a millionaire one could be without being one and Maureen was a politician who wanted a child, not for maternal reasons but just because she couldn't and needed a publicity tool for her campaigns. They were selfish, career driven people with a kind housekeeper named Brenda Marchetti who would be expected to care for the child in addition to her other tasks. This was the couple the family chose.

Even in money problems, (to specify the phrase money problems did not mean they were poor or homeless it simply meant debts and lots of them) they were a loving, normal family; a mother, a father and two handsome young boys, Kyle and Ian. The whole family was very handsome, and very similar in exception to the mother, not one person could deny they were related when they were grouped. The father and two sons all had pale, snowy skin, deep set sapphire blue eyes and untidy inky, black hair. Ian was 11 and Kyle was 2 years his senior (13). This is the quality that attracted super-facial Maureen Kennedy most, there attractive family history, was there any such thing as un-attractive publicity-tool?

Everything was prepared when things all went drastically wrong.

The pregnant women received some rather extraordinary news at the hospital: she was expecting twins. Naïve as this women and her husband was they believed the couple to be pleased that they were getting a second child. They could not have been more wrong.

This would not do.

Bob and Maureen wanted one child, not two. Twins was not an option. Twins would not - _could_ not do. But when the family started hinting if this was the case, they simply would have to find another couple. This also would not do. So the Kennedys did what they did best.

They bribed them.

Overnight, the family discovered many things, they found their debts paid off, a new car in their garage, money put aside to pay for Kyle and Ian's college and university tuition and a new house, waiting for them, if they wanted it. All in exchange for one thing, not that Avasa be given to them, that the other twin stayed with its family.

The father, after some consideration, accepted he needed to think about the majority.

Six months later, the twins were born; Brenda and her daughter Olivia were sent to fetch the child from the hospital and were set in charge of naming it. The soon to be "parents" only had one requirement the surname was to be Kennedy. Shortly after the birth the doctors handed the biological parents the first born, she was to be named Kayleigh and she was to be theirs. Brenda was fully aware of how self-absorbed, pretentious and unreliable parents her bosses would be and new that this little one had no one but her and Olivia (or so she thought at the time). She named her Avasa, independent by name independent by nature. Olivia decided her middle name should be the surname of her birth family.

Ava O'Shea Kennedy started her life without the faintest clue what was about to happen.


	2. Chapter 2

Two years later Olivia died in a car crash and it changed everything between Ava and Brenda. Brenda drifted away from her, she still cared for her obviously, Ava was young and helpless and needed her even if losing her daughter meant they could not be as close as they were.

Ava travelled all around the world with her on-paper-parents, was tutored privately so her focus was not divided by school friends and Maureen reaped the benefits and was just as driven toward her goal for power as before but then, the revolution came.

At 8 years old she stopped travelling, and Brenda disappeared Maureen became motherly and stayed home in their 5 storey mansion. Bob spoke to his daughter and asked about her day, he would have comforted her but she never needed it, she never cried years of loss and pain and sadness had toughened her and aged her in a purely mental way. She hid around the house only seeing her on-paper-parents at meal times, they did not scare her they disturbed her and she did not love them, she couldn't. Brenda had told her she was adopted, although not the reason, she had told she had siblings but not in detail and had told her, her middle name in case she ever came across them.

She knew that these kind, passionate and altruist creatures could not have been the people who had split her from her twin, her sister, her other half. She knew these were something else, something alien. Souls. They were some of the first to be taken as Bob was in a position of power. Ava did not have a soul inserted, she was young, seemingly harmless and the sudden maternal feelings Wave Whisperer (the soul possessing Maureen) were strongly opposed to her tiny daughter being taken over by a Seeker on a mission – yet.

As she grew older she spent less time with her parents' hosts, the war raged on and humans became resistant every soul was needed and Ava was not as oblivious and ignorant as she acted. The only time she left the house was at night to play soccer in their vast yard like she watched the boys do from her window.

Then a few months before her 15th birthday, Brenda came back. She explained _everything,_ the souls, the uprising, and the fight for humanity. Brenda told Ava about her friend from way back, Jeb, who had a safe place in some mountains in Arizona. She told Ava how to get there exactly and that she needed to leave as soon as possible because she was older now and Maureen's motherly protection would not last for long. The Seekers would come eventually. Brenda told Ava how to be safe as her last deed she was older now and would slow her down; they found her body the next day. Brenda was not rich but she had one thing she left Ava, a box of 500 pairs of reflective contact lenses.

Ava packed immediately and was hours away from setting off when there was a knock at the door.


	3. Chapter 3

My heart jumped into my throat, my palm went cold and sweaty: had the parasites put a homing device on me why now? Was it Brenda's mysterious suicide? Or was my number just up? I hid my back pack under a loose floorboard under my bed knowing only I knew it was there.

The doorbell rang again not quite impatient but there was an edge to the abruptness. I composed myself and made my way down one flight of stairs to the third floor. Only to meet two seekers in their pristine white uniforms already their – those body-snatchers were quiet.

"Hello, can I help you?" I asked in what I hoped was a polite voice, lack of _human _contact had made me rusty but I was proud of how steady my voice was.

"Yes," the taller of the two replied looking unsure, politeness is never expected of my species "we are sorry to tell you that you must accompany us to the healing facility your father was in an accident, your mother is with him,"

I had to fight rolling my eyes, how utterly predictable and what a rooky this was obviously his first mission lying comes with practice to this beings. My acting was much better – I had 12 years of practice.

"Oh that's awful!" I bring my hands up to my face as if I were going to cry; as if that were even possible. "Oh dear, I should stay here so the house is ready my mum," (I inwardly snorted - _mum) _"will be in pieces…"

The Seeker must not have been comfortable with tears he quickly backtracked and said "oh no, no, no, no, he's fine, he's fine but you should come and visit him he's not going to be home for a good few hours…"

"Oh thank god!" I did my best to sound relieved "Well, that's fantastic, but I can stay here, I've been to the facilities before they can get very busy." I smiled at him. This clearly was not the reaction he was hoping for.

"Are you sure-"he started but the other was more impatient and interrupted.

"But we _insist_-"the other started - he was barely an inch taller than me – but was silenced by the first's significant glance.

That was all I needed though, the small one lunged for me but I was faster he came at me from the side and we were still near the top of the stairs I kicked out defensively and hit him squarely in the chest he flew backwards and through the window at the end of the hall hitting his head on the frame knocking him out cold before he fell out. We both heard the sickening crunch of breaking bones as the seeker hit the bottom of the shallow end of the pool.

I threw caution to the wind; I was a fugitive now, a murderer.

The taller one came out of his shock before I did he pressed his back up alarm, I kicked out a second time this time making contact with a much more painful area, he keeled over backwards down the spiralling staircase – maybe they'd introduce cups as part of the uniform now.

I ran up the remaining two flights of stairs to the roof bursting onto the flat patio, my jet black hair in fast pursuit. Four more Seekers were descending from a low silver helicopter – what was it with them and that stupid colour?! – I heard more behind me, four more to be exact. Perhaps they hadn't underestimated the resistance of a 14 year old girl as much as I'd first thought. These Seekers were no beginners.

"Now don't do anything rash," one said.

"We're just trying to help you" a female one backed up.

The time for action was up, I snorted in derision.

"Join us," another one said, one with a softer voice.

"If I get a choice I'd really rather not," I said stepping closer to the edge of the roof, preparing to jump then I saw the ground below. The seeker I'd kicked was still in the pool only now it was dyed a diluted scarlet, getting more concentrated and pooling around the decrepit Seeker and I realised I had no desire to join him – no amount of survival instinct could have made me want that.

I turned to the 8 anxious looking Seekers and saw these were only intermediates themselves – there was a gap in their ranks. I put one foot back to tense to run forgetting there was nothing to stand on behind me. I fell but not far I grabbed a ledge of a fourth floor window and there was several screams from above. They looked over the edge some cringed away from the scene of the dead man below a few sighed in relief seeing me a live one reached out as if to help me up but I was planning it all out in my head.

I couldn't escape – I knew that but I would try my damn hardest to take as many down with me. I inched sideways along the edge swinging, gaining momentum to leap to the third floor balcony. _Bend your knees as you land _something my self-defence teacher had taught me years and years ago. I was successful; I smashed through the glass sliding doors into the music room and came face to face with two of the Seekers from the roof they both approached me from either side and just as they dove forward I ducked and slid under the grand piano they smashed into each other and both fell to the ground unconscious. Back on the hall two more were waiting I grabbed the stair railings and leaped over the bars the two followed on the less precarious route – I understood now I felt the searing pain shoot through my left ankle _ouch!_

One pounced at me from behind and instinctively I ducked and he sailed above my head smashing into the wall that lines the stairs destroyed multiple expensive pieces of art. Adrenaline pumped through my veins thick and fast had masked most of my injuries but now there were too many and I could feel them as I approached the front door the remaining Seeker hot on my heels. Thousands of miniscule shards of glass embedded into my snowy white skin, my sprain ankle sent daggers of pain shooting through my left leg and I could feel bruises threatening to emerge all over my dirty, gritty fingers, arms, legs and body and not remembering what I did to get them.

I found myself in the middle of my road surrounded by the last five conscious Seekers and cars I'd stopped in their journey. My neighbours, well their alien inhabited bodies, were gathering outside to see what the commotion was it was over and I'd died _trying_.


	4. Chapter 4

This was weird. Very weird. Very, very weird.

I was here but not really _there_. I could think but not act. I could feel but not make any contact and there wasn't a lot I was certain of but one thing I was certain of was that I was not _alone_.

Somebody was there with me, in _my _head. She wasn't aware of me but I was thoroughly aware of her. I searched through her thoughts her name was Rose Petals in the Wind - Rose for short - from the flower planet friends with Buttercup Breeze and Petals Open to the Moon and this was my – no _her _– fourth planet first the Mists Planet then the Dolphins then the Flowers now here, she liked the Flowers best. She was listening to a conversation.

"Are you _sure_ it was a good idea to keep her as a host?" a soft female voice was saying.

"Absolutely certain, she's only 14 and two grown men went for her it was _purely _instinct, humans are violent things it was only to be expected. I know they say you should never speak ill of the dead but Starlight Glitters really should have been less careless and his partner only just woke up too, this one's feisty for someone so small…" another female voice replied, slightly deeper than the last and positively wreaking of confidence.

So the body-snatchers had stuck a worm in the back of my head _ssss-uper. _ I suppose I was luckier than most though at least I only had the one secret to protect one that _they _didn't even know I had – I liked that. However, I threw up every mental protection I had around it just in case.

It was stirring now, wiggling my fingers and toes and getting used to the heightened senses, she was uncomfortable. I liked that too. I wasn't the only one who had noticed it moving either the two women were quiet now in rapt attention.

"Hello there young one, and what shall we call you?" It had opened _my _eyes now and was looking at the women who spoke she was in about her late twenties with short blonde hair tied into a pony tail and a kindly smile.

"I," Ugh, I Hated how it used my voice it made me sound so … _pompous _"am Rose Petals in the Wind, but please call me Rose."

"Excellent," the other women was taller than the first with bright orange hair plaited down her back was scrawling on a clip-board, "and you can call _me_ Healer Melody"

I stifled a mental gasp (I had a feeling I should be very quiet at this moment in time) I knew her! She was, well not a _friend _I wasn't aloud friends but I knew her she taught my self-defence class her name was Madison.

"And I'm your Comforter Meagan," the blond one added smiling.

"Okay, now Rose I need you to do something for me, can you please recall any details for us from your host's life just to make sure there is not damage to the memory?"

"Of course, her name was Avasa O'Shea Kennedy, shortened to Ava; she lived with her adopted parents Bob and Maureen Kennedy all her life here in Colorado and used to have a Nanny called Brenda Marchetti who had a daughter named Olivia. She missed Brenda, she died a few weeks ago, and she used to have a funny saying for her: _Avasa by name, Avasa by nature._ She disliked her parents; she wished she could have stayed with her real family as she didn't know why they got rid of her and kept her twin sister," Rose cringed away from the emotional wrecking her feeble little mind was getting from that tiny description of a tiny portion of my life; she had never felt pain like this before. "The O'Sheas, have they been caught?" she added the last question herself in a selfish attempt to make herself feel better.

"Not all of them, I'm afraid your older brothers, Ian and Kyle, are still out there but the mother, Erica, father ,Ross, and your twin, Kayleigh, all live in Pasadena, California. Of course they go under different names now though…" Healer Melody replied "you can go see them if it will make you feel better"

She paused and thought about that for a while but stopped abruptly, flinching away from the searing pain of rejection _that _reunion might bring.

"No, I'll be fine here"

In the weeks that followed I stayed quiet, I did not fade away but I sometimes gave her guidance when she was about to harm the body I was determined to get back. She never dove too far into my mind, scared of what she might find so my barriers weren't tested – I wasn't a suspect in the rebel resistance. Her Calling was Healer, even though she could fill many other callings had she been so inclined, but Healing had an independent and fulfilling edge – I disliked any similarities I found in our personalities, this one in particular, but she was alone through choice and I used to be alone because I had no other choice. She was climbing the training ranks fast; at the moment she was the Soul equivalent of head nurse.

I probably wouldn't have minded her so much if she wasn't such a _complainer. _

Oh, I hate dark hair. Ugh this pale skin would never catch a tan if I live on _the sun_! Blue eyes make me feel cold. I'm so _short_, I can't reach _anything. _This body's far too young I prefer a curvier physique. Such an awkward size how do you ever find clothes that fit?!

She complained, spoke and whined, to me, at me and about me – like having a constant headache. She never brought my awareness to Meagan's attention because she thought it as normal and saw me as no danger anyway.

But 3 months into her travel training to be a Healer she snapped, someone patted me on the head for the third time that day and she decided she'd had enough.

_That it! I can't _take _it anymore! I'm skipping! I don't care what people think! I hate being petted like a dog and looked at and undermined like child I'm tired of this! _She screamed at me internally, I'd had no illusions of grandeur about my appearance like she had so none of it hurt my feelings if anything I had to suppress my glee she was simply too much of a pain to miss.

_Okay Rose, so what will happen now? _ I ask her, genuinely curious.

_I'm going back to my original Healer in Colorado to get reinserted into another body … oh you meant what would happen to _you _oh well, you'll get put onto a life support machine to wait until a different Soul needs a host._ She explained this was a relief in some ways, I was glad I wasn't being disposed of, that I wasn't suspected.

Everything went very smoothly after that, I kept quiet and she caught a shuttle from New York to Colorado the next morning and was very still while she discussed with her Healer the kind of host she wished for next it all breezed by very quickly. Next thing I know she's putting me under for the operation …


	5. Chapter 5

"Ava, quick, hurry, wake up, come on you have to get _out of here_!" there was a quick urgent whisper in my ear as I fluttered my eyes open. Where was Rose? Why was she out and I was awake? I thought I wouldn't wake up until there was someone else in my head. Then I saw her face.

Madison/Healer Melody was bent over me, I was in a comfortable hospital bed but I wasn't tired, not at all. Her emerald eyes and freckled face were worried and then relieved when she saw I was alert. Her face was framed by her plaited ginger hair as she pulled me to my feet.

"Healer Melody what are you-?" I started but-

"No, not Healer Melody, just Maddy I took over to get you out of here. The place is nearly empty but try not to get caught for me please?" she was frantically pulling a back pack onto my back it was light but big. "These are medical supplies you'll need and there might be some scrubs in there too, I'm glad they don't dress patients in hospital gowns like the humans did… Okay, you're good to go, now get out of here now!"

"Maddy," I whispered "How can I thank-"

"By going now, she won't remember doing this but she will realise something's up soon so hurry!" she pushed me toward the large window instead of the doors "Go left through the park and then you'll blend in with anyone who's left on the streets."

As I slipped out of the window, she closed it swiftly behind me, I mouthed "thank you" through the glass then hurried left down the path she'd pointed out.

Madison took over? How? Can people do that? I had been so concerned with not making a nuisance of myself in my own body that I had not even considered the possibilities of my power over Rose. The only time I had any effect on her was the day she moved out of the family home. After I was caught and had gotten over the shock of having to share my mind I had had to exercise some real restraint on the anger and hatred (of which I'd never felt before) towards my on-paper-parents. However, despite my best attempts some of it leaked into and coloured Roses thoughts. She moved out 6 days after insertion.

I was hidden in the foliage at the foot of my back lawn. Bob and Maureen weren't in; they had been called to an emergency over-night stay at another Healing Facility as Maureen had broken down in hysterics earlier in the day with grief for the abandonment from the daughter she barely knew. I may have resented them but I felt a twinge of guilt that someone was still hurting because of me.

11:52pm, the coast was clear, the goody-two-shoes Souls would probably all have early nights. I loped quick and quiet up to the patio doors without a backward glance to the now clean pool. I tried the door, _ahah_, it was unlocked - over trusting fools. I closed the sliding door behind me; I was in the over-sized breakfast room. The lights were off, I didn't want to draw attention to the house so I didn't turn them on, I was used to this house in the dark and I knew how to move around it silently.

I tip toed up the three staircases to the fourth floor and down the hall to my room. Again, I didn't flick the switch to see if they'd changed anything there was nothing of value to me here apart from the box under the floor-boards. I crawled gently to the edge of the east wall and eased up the right floor-board. I felt for the slightly-larger-than-a-shoebox box and slipped the lid to check it was all there – a tiny LED light on a key chain in the box showed me it was: 500 pairs of reflective contact lenses (one pair of which I put on now), a sheet of note-paper with the directions to the safe-place on and a few sets of clothes. I carefully replaced the lid and slipped it into the backpack Maddy gave me.

Back out in the yard I headed for the road and walked down the Twilit Street turning left toward the main road. At the roadside I could see only a single car driving toward me I put my hand out and it slowed next to me, a man was driving, he looked stressed and .

"Hello, can I help you?" he asked his her brow furrowed and his eyes cautious as he leaned across the passenger seat to talk through the open window. I looked myself up and down to make sure I was presentable for Soul Company. They had redressed me after Rose was taken out – brand new grey combats with a clean white vest top and walking shoes – it was as if they were prepping me for my voyage.

"No not lost, just need a ride," I hoped against hope hitch-hiking still happened "Where are you heading?" my voice was just as steady as it needed to be.

"Umm…" he looked suspicious "where do you need to go?"

"Anywhere, far, far away, Arizona preferably…" I said before I could stop myself, I stopped worried by how fast I was speaking.

A resigned look crossed his face "I'm headed to Eloy, hop in just tell me when you want to get out."

"Thank you," Eloy_ that's … interesting._ I thought as I got into the passenger seat. "Are you sure you have the right name that's an eight hour drive."

He eased back onto the road his tanned hands tensing on the wheel, my sense of direction didn't seem to ease his what I thought were nerves.

"Yes, I know I had some Awake before I set off. What's your name then?" this conversation seemed very forced, Souls weren't usually so hostile.

Then I saw something that made relief flood through me like a river crashing through a dam. A car was driving on the other side of the road and its passing headlights flashed into the man's brown, normal eyes.

"My name's Avasa and _you're _human."


	6. Chapter 6

**Jared's Point of View**

Crap. This was stupid. Stupid, careless and reckless. Why didn't I just drive by and leave her? Or say I was headed for hotel? If Wanda was here we'd be okay her acting's improved but she wouldn't need to act, she's one of them. Stupid thinking I could get away with this. The alarm must have been very apparent on my face because she quickly added.

"No, no, no, I am too!" but she was still smiling looking a bit smug at what the reaction her words had just caused.

"Your eyes beg to differ." I replied harshly, I'd seen the beams of light reflected back by her strangely familiar blue irises.

"Oh crap, yeah, what a sec-"she lifted her fingers to her eyes as if to poke herself but when she lowered them she was holding something translucent. A contact lens. "See?" She shone a little key-chain LED at her eye and miraculously nothing was reflected. "Reflective contacts, best disguise around I'd say." She added proudly giggling at my awed expression.

Human. She was human. I didn't have to kill her. I can't say I wasn't relieved.

"So A-a- I'm sorry what was your name again?" I said recovering quickly.

"Avasa," she replied, "Ava for short though," having already replaced her contact and now shuffling through her backpack and holding out a small foil covered item for me, some contacts. "Here, have them I have loads."

"Thanks," I pulled the Sedan onto a lay-by to put them on already feeling safer the moment they touched my eyes. "Hi, my name's Jared." I introduced myself and held out my hand for her to shake. She took it with a surprising tiny pale hand. "So have you got somewhere to go?"

"Yes, a safe place a friend told me about near Eloy, you couldn't drop me off at Picacho Peak could you? That's where I'm setting off." Her voice was very polite.

"Who was your friend?" I ask before I could stop myself.

"Brenda Marchetti, her friend Jeb told her where to find it." She said in a rush like she hadn't spoken in a long time, then looked instantly guilty as if she'd said something she shouldn't of.

"Jeb? Stryder? You're going in the desert?" I was surprised this pale little girl had even considered how she would fair in the desert. She was probably younger than Jamie, 14 at the oldest, and she had snowy white skin that looked even whiter under her long curly black hair. But, like Jamie, she was determined I could see it in her familiar blue eyes, hard with purpose.

"How do _you _know that I'm going in the desert?" she asked suspicion masked her features.

"That's where _I _live, with Jeb and a bunch of others too but there's no Brenda there." Best crush her hopes fast than have her be disappointed later.

"Of course she isn't," she waved a dismissive hand "Brenda was old, she died months ago and told me to go ahead."

"A few _months _ago? Where are you coming from, Alaska?" I asked sarcastically.

"No, I live down the road from where you found me but I got held up." She muttered, stung by my remark.

"How?" I asked.

"The Seekers who came for me didn't like it when I chucked one of them out of the window."

"A window …?" I repeated in a whisper. She was so small I was surprised she could even carry the huge backpack on her lap.

"I've been a host for the past few months and I only just escaped. Don't you think we should get going." She gestured in the warm night air, to the motionless car.

**Ava's Point of View**

Travelling with Jared was surprisingly easy he wasn't the chatty kind which suited me perfectly - I didn't like so called chit-chat anyway, it seemed like such a waste of breath, time and mind power. It was rather – well not awkward, but - tensed at first because it was clear trust was neither of our virtues but it eased up eventually. We decided to keep it as a single stretch journey, I didn't like the idea of resting so close to Colorado and he was missing a girl called Melanie in the caves that he loved very much. He never said in so many words but it was clear the way he lit up when he spoke of her – television show cliché but none the less helpful at characterizing him. He said to leave for this 'raid' he had, had to sneak out in the dead of night otherwise she would have insisted on coming too and he saw that as completely pointless even though he felt uneasy being away from her.

I still didn't know if he was going to take me there or I'd have to find it myself but I couldn't have found a better person to be with on a mission like this. Jared had an uncanny ability to sense danger and unparalleled instincts to any Seeker I'd ever met. As we neared the desert I had a burning question I simply couldn't resist any longer – which was an unusual sensation because I had always been able to form my own answers up until then.

"Jared?" I asked giving him the opportunity to not answer.

"Yes?" he replied in a tired voice. I felt guilty, he had drove the whole way as I was far too young (and short) to drive.

"How many people live in the caves?"

"With you, 40. We got a couple of others earlier on in the year."

_40. _I whistled, that was far more than I had expected. Safe place indeed.

"Do you have any family there with you?"

"Just Mel and Jamie, really. Mel kind of counts Wanda and Ian as family too but there is no way I am counting _Kyle _as _family._" He chuckled.

But I wasn't paying attention that had sparked something in my memory. _Ian, Kyle _, there was something in those names I knew. Not from my life though something that had happened to Rose. Her memories were some of the only blurs in _my _eidetic ones, where I wasn't really interested or glazed over in self-preservation. I remembered this though:

_ "The O'Sheas, have they been caught?"_

_ "Not all of them, I'm afraid your older brothers, Ian and Kyle, are still out there,"_

I took a sharp intake of breath. No, it was coincidence, Ian and Kyle were such common names and maybe this Kyle and Ian were cousins or father and son. I was being silly, absurd. They were almost certainly dead anyway.

"You okay?" he interrupted my train of thought, I looked up at him, his face looked confused, searching for what had caused my sudden change of mood.

"Yes, I'm fine just … t … tired." It wasn't a convincing lie, he still looked wary but let it go. Yes, Jared was very easy to travel with.

"Well we're almost there you can sleep when we get there." He pulled onto the dry wash and got out to attach some tarps to the back of the car. So he was taking me there after all, I was kind of glad, I didn't think I could take a desert trek at this moment in time.

The drive was a short one there wasn't much to look at apart from darkness I didn't know just how close we were to our destination or what I thought was our destination until we pulled into an impossibly small cave opening and we were suddenly surrounded by other dusty vehicles.

"Uh, you might want to take your contacts out now," Jared said as he slipped carefully from the Sedan.

"I think I'll keep them on if I can, at least until we're a bit more undercover."

"Suppose it's your choice." He shrugged removing his anyway. "I'm guessing if you object to that you won't let me blindfold you?"

"Not a chance." He shrugged again.

He told me to get into the Jeep while he reattached the tarps to the back. I was pleased he didn't need help, I felt a little nauseated, I grabbed my back pack, climbed into the Jeep passenger seat, leant my forehead to the window and closed my eyes.

"Ava! Ava! Wake up!" Jared whisper-shouted shaking my arm. I'd fallen asleep; I was more tired than I'd thought.

"Sorry," I mumbled blinking awake. "Are we there?"

"Yeah I drove straight there you looked too tired to walk if I'd taken the Jeep to its usual hiding place."

"I could've walked." I frowned. He made me sound weak. Ugh, I felt like such a _girl_.

"Well we're here now so come on." He grabbed my bag and seemed surprised by its lightness deciding I could manage, he passed it to me.

Before I knew it, we were walking down a dark passage way that could have been huge but it was so dark I couldn't tell. Our footsteps echoed like it was a big space. It smelt musty and damp all the desert dryness gone that was when I realised they weren't all our footsteps, they were faster than ours – running.

Instinctively I tensed to a halt and Jared stopped too, but for a different reason –

"Jared Howe!" A shrill voice pierced the silence like the crack of a whip and rebounded off of all the walls and repeated making it sound louder. "You are in for a _world _of pain!"


	7. Chapter 7

"Hee-ey Mel," He replied nervously but a smile clearly in his voice.

Mel's footsteps were getting closer with every second until she was right in front of us. "Don't you _Hee-ey Mel, _me! Where the _hell _have you been!?"

"Out," Jared replied still a smile in his voice, these outbursts must be short lived.

"Don't try and be cl-" she was suddenly silenced I wondered what Jared must've done- never mind I didn't want to know.

More footsteps echoed from further down the passageway smaller more delicate ones that stopped at a distance. A small trilling voice spoke out of the darkness.

"Mel? Mel? Mel you haven't killed him have you?" I might've laughed if she hadn't sounded sincerely worried.

"No, Wanda I haven't but I'm still undecided so …" Mel teased breathlessly a few feet from me I stepped back silently.

They all chuckled well Jared and Melanie did I think the girl named Wanda was still worried. There retreating footsteps sounded and not knowing what to do, I stood still my bag still on the floor where I'd dropped it. I was only there for a few minutes when I heard Jared distantly say:

"Where's Ava?"

"Ava?" I heard one of the girls ask, surprised, Melanie I think.

"Yeah this girl I picke - found in Colorado, she was with me when we came in."

"You go in and get some food I think Lucina's still serving dinner, I'll get her." This was a different voice, male but not Jared someone new. "Jared why are you looking at me like that?" it asked confused.

"Nothing it's just – nothing." Jared replied the way his voice moved it sounded like he was shaking his head. I heard some of the people leave.

"You want me to come with you, bro?" another male voice asked very similar to the latter.

"Nah, I think I'll be fine Kyle, can I have your torch she'll probably need it? Thanks,"

There was a click and a bright beam of light burst in the distance he did a quick scan of the cave until he found me and paused. i shielded my eyes against the glare.

**Ian's Point of View**

"Kyle on second thoughts could you come in here for a sec?" I said louder than I'd meant to "NOW!" I shouted urgently I made the girl jump. Not just the girl but one of my favourite girls. My little baby sister; my Kayleigh.

Kyle was laughing when he entered the tunnel and it echoed and bounced off the walls.

"What's wrong is ickle Ian scared of the ickle gir-?" he said in a mocking voice pulling up short when he saw the girl standing stock still in the sharp sphere of light on her pale face – two more beams reflecting from her sapphire blue irises. "Kayliegh!? Is that you!?" He exclaimed happily in recognition laughing even more oblivious to her reflecting eyes.

Kayleigh seemed confused by this. "Who's Kayleigh? Who are you?" She asked confused and looking a little scared.

"Kayleigh," Kyle laughed affectionately, and started toward her "It's me, Kyle O'Shea, your bother?"

"There are O'Sheas still _alive_?" she asked incredulously. This wasn't Kayleigh, why had Jared brought her here? Conscious?

"What do you mean? Still _alive_?" Kyle asked sharply.

"I thought you were all dead … how are you-?" Three things happened very fast - I dropped the torch and it rolled away, Kyle charged at her like a bull and she was cut short as what I thought was Kyle's fist struck her face. She gasped in pain, I didn't know who this girl was but I had to protect her.

"Kyle, no!" I shouted scrambling for the torch I found the light and picked it up searching for them again I found them quickly, Kyle was behind her and had his arm wrapped around her neck – in a headlock.

"Kyle, stop it." I said firmly walking up to them both.

"You heard what it said – what have you done to Mom and Dad?" he demanded shouting down her ear. You would have thought he would have learnt something from all the time he spent with Sunny these days. She cringed away struggling to breath.

"How do you expect her to talk with you cutting off her air supply?" I asked harshly, Kyle could be so dim sometimes. He loosened his grip but only slightly.

"Nothing!" she gasped "I didn't do anything, Ross, Erica and Kayleigh are fine they all live in California!"

That derailed us "What?" we both said at the same time.

"I'm not Kayleigh, I'm Ava, please let me go." She whimpered quietly. Kyle let her go staring at her suspiciously. She rubbed her soon to be bruised neck and gasped. Kyle was strong.

"Who are you then?" I asked thoroughly confused, now she was playing with her eyes as she moved them away the blinked several times and motioned as if to throw something on the floor.

"Human," she mumbled "Where's Jared?"

"He asked _who _you are." Kyle snapped.

"I know," the girl mumbled.

"Then answer him."

"My name's Avasa O. Kennedy."

"The O standing for …?" I prompted.

She wrapped her arms around herself and stared at the ground. She was finished talking.

"I suppose you don't have to tell us …" I mumbled guiltily I had a very bad feeling I knew exactly who this was. I wondered if she heard the double meaning in my words, it appeared Kyle had, I could literally _hear _his brain click as he put two and two together. He gasped.

Maybe if she gave us the chance we could explain the uproar her adoption caused in our family. I was only 11 when it happened but I remember the day like it was yesterday.

**"Snap! I win!" Kyle laughed again, slapping his hand down on the deck.**

** "That's a three not an eight, you idiot." I said grabbing his hand and lifted it up to show him his mistake.**

** "Aw, man! Come on another game." He reshuffled the deck on the low wooden coffee table. I got up, stretched and sat down on the red arm chair in the waiting area of the hospital.**

** "Why, are scared I'll beat you again?" he taunted, but I didn't care I wasn't in the mood for games today.**

** "Why are we even ****_here _****Kyle?" I blurted out frustrated at how useless I felt for my little sisters who would live far away, who's names I'd never know, who would grow up with strangers.**

** "Ian, ease up the way I look at it either two things will come out of today; A, mom will look at the little babies and just ****_have _****to keep them and let's face it if they get my looks who can blame her?" he paused waiting for a response to his joke, I just stared. "or B, they'll go live with their new rich family and be happy and this adoption thing must pay well, haven't you noticed? No repo men, no debt collectors at our door? A new house? Mom and Dad have got money and from the looks of it they've been spending, I heard some of these couples who adopt can be real generous too…"**

** "Do you not even ****_care _****we won't ever meet them though?"**

** "'course I do bro, you know I do but we can't do anything so we're just going to have to except it plus we get to keep one anyway so-"**

** "What? No we don't," I snapped, it was hard to believe Kyle was actually ****_older _****than me sometimes.**

** "Yuh-huh, I heard mom and dad talking about it the other night we get to keep the first born they were arguing over the right and wrong of it all that boring stuff but I'm positive that's what I heard."**

** "But that's wrong; they're twins they should stay together." Kyle must be mistaken mom would never allow this it was just too twisted, but I couldn't help but feel a bit hopeful that I might actually get to keep one of my baby sisters.**

** "What you'd prefer they were both shipped off to the Kennedy's crypt?"**

** "Yeah, well no, well – I don't know, who are the Kennedy's?"**

** "The couple the other one's going to – wow mom and dad don't tell you anything do they?"**

** "Wh-" I started to retort but at that moment dad walked into the waiting room looking a little worn but otherwise quite happy.**

** "She's here," he smiled half-heartedly.**

** "They're here," I corrected "When was ****_I _****going to find out we're keeping one?" I glared at him, I would never forget this, I know mom too well to know this was his descision. I hated thinking these things about my dad we used to be very close but this was just too much.**

** "Well you know now," he replied sternly shooting a reproachful look at Kyle he was very intuitive and if history was anything to go by, if information was leaked, Kyle's eavesdropping was usually at fault. However, Kyle wasn't listening he was on his feet and making his way to mom's room. He wasn't the only one not paying attention as dad explained names, weights and appearances, though. **

** The only way dad would let us in now was if the other baby had been moved, I stuck my head out into the hallway. It was very busy with doctors, babies and nurses but there was no sign of my other little sister.**


	8. Chapter 8

We walked in silence just the two men's breathing and mine until; I tripped over a jutting rock and stumbled onto the ground grazing my hands as I put them in front of me to break my fall. One of them, I didn't know which, tried to help me up but I flinched away from the unexpected hand on my arm and hissed involuntarily regretting it the moment I did. What a disaster. Why could'nt I have just put up with Rose?

Neither of them touched me again and we reached a large bluish cave with hundreds of moons hovering above a square garden in the centre of the first I thought it was empty but an old man with a white beard and bushy eyebrows was waiting for us in the calm room.

"I tell you, Brenda wasn't kidding was she?" he said in a reminiscent voice. "You're real trooper aren't you?"

He was talking to me, but I had no idea what to say so I tried to smile and failed miserably with a grimace.

"'S'she not with you?" he asked in a half troubled, half resigned voice.

I hung my head and shook it miserably. "Sorry," I breathed I was surprised I'd even managed it at all, in front of this particular audience. The man, who I now assumed was Jeb, recovered quickly.

"Ah, well. S'not your fault honey, she lived a long, full life and at least she with little Olivia now, well she was little when I last saw her," Jeb chuckled to himself, Brenda wasn't wrong, this man had an extraordinary way of seeing things. "well, I see you've got reacquainted with these two so-,"

"Wait, Jeb, you _knew?" _one of the men said "How come you never told us?" the bigger one, Kyle, interrupted him sounding a little betrayed by his friend's lack of warning. I shared some of his feelings, if Jeb had said something I wouldn't have and aching pain around my right temple.

"Brenda told me a bit about this little ones background so I had an inkling" he scratched his chin, and I scowled at the ground, I hated it when people called me little. "But you never asked so … What have you done to her?" he asked noticing my eye that must have already began bruising.

"I didn't mean to, it was dark and I over shot where she was." Kyle replied defensively.

"We'll take her down to Doc and then find her somewhere to sleep…" Jeb muttered shaking his head and motioning for us to follow him down a cave opening in the southern most direction. I waited until they were all a good few metres in front of me before I readjusted my bag and followed.

The pitch black tunnel seemed to go on forever, I was listening intensely to my surroundings, the only sounds were our footsteps and breathing and Jeb's off beat whistling but I was nothing short of relieved when I saw a dim light in the distance. Jeb had already entered the large cavern and was talking to a tall kind looking man.

As I walked into the cave myself he looked up and smiled at me and a thousand memories flashed through my mind at once. Lying on a hospital bed with chicken pox when I was 5 as he took my temperature; Brenda holding my hand whilst he give me 8 stitches because I'd fallen down the stairs; an overnight stay because I'd almost drowned in the pool when I was 4; hundreds of injections and vaccinations for my many, many abroad trips and the many visits to the hospitals all around America and yearning for my usual doctor who was nice and didn't have cold hands and would always greet me with a smile and how he would laugh as Brenda explained my latest clumsy accident.

"Hey, Doc," I grinned at him, something I hadn't said or done in a while.

"Well, if it isn't my favourite patient," he said grinning right back.


	9. Chapter 9

"So what've you done now?" he chuckled approaching me and tilting my head to the side to look at my eye.

"It wasn't my fault," I said with an extreme sense of da-ja-vu.

"Wait," Ian said holding his hands up "You two know each other?" he challenged, disbelief etched all over his face.

"Of course, Ava had her own room at the hospital when I worked there," he laughed at the private joke. "Nothing's changed much has it?" he smiled at me.

"It did when you disappeared," I nodded earnestly, "I learnt to watch where I walked, just after you left I got the flu and I got stuck with Dr Obermen, I'm surprised I even recovered with all his spitting." I wrinkled my nose distastefully at the sticky memory.

"Yes, well come sit over here and I'll see if we have anything for bruises, I can't believe how much you've grown …" he wandered off skipping over my comment not wanting to speak ill of his colleagues – he hadn't changed a bit. "Hmmm… I don't think we have …"

"I have," I said reaching into my bag; I pulled out the right spray and squirted the mist in front of me and inhaled it. Doc was back, the end of humanity hadn't had a huge effect on him he still looked the same as I remembered him minus the scrubs of course.

"Still very self-sufficient I see," he smiled shaking his head in incredulity of just how small this world was. "I see you've met Kyle and Ian." He said looking slightly worried. I nodded in response, unhappy with the direction the conversation had taken.

"Doc you knew too!" it wasn't a question it was an accusation and this time it was Ian giving it.

"Of course, I did I had her file from the hospital in California where she was born, you were all in there, you never asked so I never told you it seemed moot and would of only upset you for no good reason. In any case you knew about her so …" He explained shrugging.

"Did you know about us?" he asked me trying to look casual but just fell short and instead looked worried, I regretted my reaction earlier; I thought maybe he'd been the one who had tried to help me.

I nodded.

"For how long?" Kyle joined in. Both men sat on a cot each looking at me.

"I've known I was adopted since I was 5 but I only found out your names specifically a few months ago." I answered. "Why? Why did Kayleigh get to stay?" I blurted out before I could stop myself again, what is wrong with me?

"Your guess is as good as ours; we weren't in on the decision," Kyle scolded.

"But we're sorry anyway," Ian added sincerely, his brother nodded in agreement it was hard for me to doubt their words when they looked at me with their piercing blue eyes that were nothing short of identical to mine.

"Don't be," they shouldn't be sorry, they did what they had to do because I had a very well-educated and experienced guess at what Bob and Maureen had done to get what they wanted. I swung my feet up onto the cot, it wasn't comfortable but it would do, I crossed my legs and with my elbows on my knees began to knead my forehead. I had a throbbing headache, I decided I'd look in my bag for some No Pain but as soon as I thought it Doc handed me a small paper tissue of it. Thanking him with a smile I took it (I was far too preoccupied to notice the wonderful feeling it gave) and returned to kneading my forehead hoping to decide my next move when Kyle interrupted me.

"Sorry about that." He apologized sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it," I did not want either of their pity or anyone else's for that matter. "I've had worse,"

I had expected Doc to back that, limiting my talking to a minimum but I looked up to find both he and Jeb had drifted off to a homemade desk of crates on the other side of the cave. Super. They expected a reunion.

"Worse?" he asked curiously as if he doubted anything could be as scary as him. I was starting to get a good idea of their personalities. That wasn't good, if I got to know them too well I could get sentimental, in this day and age that didn't sound safe.

"Yes I was held hostage at gun point in Al Qatrana by some guys who wanted information from Bob although I think they may have gotten the wrong person."

Ian gave a low whistle whereas Kyle said "Al Katrina?"

"Al Qatrana,"I corrected, "It's a place in Jordan," when he still looked confused I said "Near Iraq,"

"Ohhh," he nodded understanding "How old were you?"

"About 4, we were actually just on the way to get a helicopter home," Bob had been given a promotion and being a multi-millionaire had its disadvantages too.

"And you still remember?" Ian asked in an awed voice.

"I have an eidetic memory and it's not really something you'd forget…" I said a little shyly I didn't like talking about myself it made me sound pompous, like Rose. We sat in silence, something I was probably more comfortable with than them.

"Something tells you Jamie's gonna like her doesn' it?" Jeb said we jumped at how close his voice was he must have drifted over while we were talking.

"You hungry, Ava?" Doc asked joining us now.

"I should be, but it doesn't feel like it," I thought out loud trying to remember the last time I'd eaten.

"Come on then, it's gettin' late and I need find out where your sleeping. I'll give you the tour tomorrow."

Walking with Doc was easier than with the others, his life had changed so much since I'd last seen him. He was now in a relationship with a girl named Sharon who was the teacher here and he complained of how he missed his scrubs. He was ecstatic when I told him I had some in the bag I'd left in the hospital wing. Sharon sounded nice but I got the feeling Kyle didn't agree from the way he laughed when I asked what she was like. I was happy Doc had found someone, Brenda had always worried he wouldn't; being so preoccupied with his practice.

Even though Jared had warned me, I was still overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of humans in this very room alone. They were everywhere leaning and sitting counters as they listened to a small blond girl talking as she took some cooked bread rolls out of what looked like a make-shift oven. When she spotted us she smiled and stopped talking.

"Sorry to interrupt Wanda," Jeb said buoyantly enjoying the tension. Extraordinary.

"It's okay," she said, I recognised her voice; she had been the worried girl who had come and see if Melanie had killed Jared. As I made this connection I noticed they weren't here and now that I had looked a bit more there were only about 15 people in the room even with us. "I'm just finishing these; almost everyone's gone to bed. Who's this?" she asked as she started filling a plastic tub with the fresh rolls with a woman with a braid in her hair.

As she said this everyone's eyes darted to me and I saw them all do a simultaneous double take, then look at Kyle and Ian who were both standing to my left and then look at me again. We really did look far too much alike.

**Kyle's Point Of View**

I really didn't know why Wanda had asked, she looked so much like Ian and me there was no doubt in anyone's mind she was our sister. She was about as tall as Jodi with jet black curly hair that hung to her waist that made her look even paler; she was slim and dainty looking as she was holding her hands clasped together in front of her. But her eyes were the real tell tail they were the same exact blue under the shadows her long eyelashes were casting on them. It was nice to know exactly what Kayleigh would look like right now.

"Everyone this is Ava, Kyle and Ian's sister," she winced as Jeb introduced her a bit too cheerily. That hurt a bit, but I couldn't blame her after everything. Doc guided Ava over to where Sharon was standing and introduced her, I couldn't hear what he was saying but Sharon seemed to recognise her sort of, and shook her hand smiling. More people started to drift off to bed; I looked around and saw Jeb had gone to stand with Wanda and Jamie. Ian and I followed suit.

"Jamie, kid, she sounds like she's got some real good stories and I'll bet it's not just alien stuff but some stuff on earth, she was telling Ian and Kyle how she got held hostage when she was 4…" I turned my head so that I could hear what Doc was saying,

"… I think you should go over, they're nice guys and in all the years I've known you and all the years I've known them I think you'd really get on."

"I don't know Doc…" she replied reluctantly "I wouldn't know what to say and I have a feeling that whatever I tell them about will just make them feel guilty when they shouldn't…"

"Yes well, I think it would be good for you to bond with some of your real family and Wanda's there too so …"

She sighed in resignation and walked across the now silent kitchen I turned in time to see Sharon's bright hair disappear through the entrance. Doc was gone too.

Ava looked like she tried to smile but then ducked her head down and introduced herself to Wanda and Jamie instead.

I looked at Ian and saw he too was staring at our sister too, he was watching her with a smile. It took me a while to realise but I was smiling too.


	10. Chapter 10

**Ava's Point of View**

Sharon seemed lovely, she was almost the complete opposite of Doc but I supposed they just balanced each other out. They seemed very happy all things considered, that made me happy too. I could have quite easily stood and talked to Doc all night but Doc being Doc, had to bring Ian and Kyle up. For once in my life (and Rose's too, for that matter) I was lost for words.

I spoke to Mel's little brother to postpone any interaction with the brothers. Jamie seemed like a very enthusiastic person that was trying to exercise some kind of restraint but otherwise very nice. His very good first impression, however, was ruined by the first thing he said to me.

"Hi, I'm Jamie nice to meet you. So your Kyle and Ian's little sister?"

I grimaced involuntarily, I hoped I wasn't hurting their feelings but a glance at the older one told me I was though. "Um, yeah – sort of – I guess so…"

"So where's she sleeping Jeb?" the girl named Wanda asked, she was now at Ian's side he had his arm around her waist. That was nice; they looked very sweet together even if Ian looked slightly preoccupied.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken I believe there's a small cave at the end of the sixth- I think - passageway? Kyle could you get her a single mattress from storage?" Jeb replied, more to himself than the rest of us, furrowing his brow.

"No problem, where's Sunny?"

"She was tired so she went to bed," Wanda replied.

"But she probably isn't asleep. Bread, Ava?" Jamie added.

He offered me a lumpy, round bread roll; I took it grateful for something to do with my hands.

"Thank you, you don't have to go to any trouble I don't mind sleeping in the hospital wing." I said before taking a bite. This all sounded like a lot of work and my things were already down there anyway.

"It's no trouble," Kyle turned around and continued by walking backwards as he said, "You say that now but you'll regret it the moment you try to sleep on one of those bloody cots." He turned and carried on towards the exit.

"Well, at least let me help." Why did I say that? Why couldn't I just swallow my pride and let him get me a stupid mattress? I didn't want to be alone with him, for some unfathomable reason I wanted this man and his brother to like me and I had a nasty feeling if they got to know me too well they either wouldn't or I would get attached or both.

"It's okay, finish your food," He said over his shoulder before he disappeared out of the mess hall. I was thankful for his answer and reversed the few steps I'd taken in his direction.

After I'd finished eating, Jeb, Jamie, Wanda and Ian all showed me the way to my living quarters well Jeb was showing me the way Jamie, Wanda and Ian were really just going to bed. We paused at an eight-tined fork at which Jamie departed for the second from left channel, Ian and Wanda for the third and Jeb and I for the sixth.

I relaxed a bit when it was just me and Jeb, I already felt like I knew him from everything Brenda had said. They had met whilst she was trekking through the Arizona desert when she was just an adventurous college graduate. They had only seen each other a few times but kept in touch through letters mostly. They had a shared an interest in science fiction and an unquenched thirst for knowledge. Jeb had even travelled to New Mexico for Brenda's wedding, to meet Olivia when she was born and Tony's (Brenda's husbands) funeral, Olivia had even gone to Stryder Ranch to see Picacho Peak.

"How you holding up kiddo?" he asked cheerily, this was a man impossible not to like. It was too late for Doc but I'd have to try extra hard not to get attached to this human – _person; _I'd been with Rose far too long.

"Is there a reason I should be trying to hold up?" I asked sceptically.

"Life's been tough on you kid, I'm surprised you're not in worse shape."

"It was really not that bad; Brenda had a tendency to over react and exaggerate things." It was only partly true but I was so used to it I weaved the lie in seamlessly.

"Really?" he asked questioningly. "I always had Brenda pinned as a very down to earth character." I had a feeling I may not have fooled him.

"I don't see what she saw wrong with my life," I countered. "I was cared for by a loving nanny, I was fed, clothed, cleaned and taught with a roof over my head at all times."

"Were you happy?" the question didn't come from Jeb, but from Kyle. We had reached the last opening in the corridor like cave. Kyle stepped out of the small cave and looked at me straight in the eyes waiting for a response to his question. I swallowed loudly, lying to Jeb when he knew the truth anyway was one thing but lying to Kyle who didn't ever want to know the truth was another. He raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't _un_happy." It thought it was true but why did it sound like a lie out loud?

"What _were _you then?"

"Just …" what was I? Ill-fated? No, with that much money that wasn't the word. Scared? Definitely not, it was shameful to even think that. Bored? Possibly, when you remember everything you read, hear and see things can get repetitive. I looked to Jeb for help but he wasn't there. I was alone. "Alone." I finished.

"I'm sorry." He apologized again.

And again I replied, "Don't be."

He opened his mouth as if to say something and then thought better of it and stepped aside to let me in. the cave was just the right size for me, not like my ridiculously large bedroom in Colorado whose size was completely disproportionate to its purpose. My new room was sort of square-ish with rounded corners. Thrice as high as it was wide, the ceiling was a maze of cracks revealing more stars than I'd ever seen at one point in time in the city. The mattress Kyle had brought was pushed up to the right wall leaving a few yards of walking space on the left and bottom sides. The bed was already made complete with blue sheets and the top left corner folded open ready for me to get in. I almost felt guilty that I was going to sleep in it.

I had a tendency to thrash in my sleep when I stayed in a new place but I couldn't help but notice how much care and attention had been put into the start of my new room. He must still be feeling guilty for our misunderstanding. I turned around to look at him. He was leaning against the entrance looking in with an anxious expression and his hands buried deep in his pockets.

"Thank you, this is great." I motioned to the room and sat down on the mattress with my legs crossed, not sure what to do with myself. He mirrored me sitting in the doorway. He considered me for a moment before speaking.

"What's your favourite colour?" he asked. This derailed me I had expected a lot of things to come out of his mouth but this wasn't one of them. I didn't really have to think about my answer though.

"Blue," I said ironically.

"You don't have to say that,"

"I know, but it's true, it's always been that."

"Huh." was his reply.

"What?"

"Kayleigh's was pink."

"I've never met her, but I can tell you with absolute certainty Kayleigh and I, are like chalk and cheese. We're nothing alike so I'm sorry if you're disappointed." That sounded harsher than I'd meant.

"I know that you're gonna be different but I don't think you'll be _that _different."

"Well prepare to be proved wrong."

"I want to get to know you, I don't know if you want to get to know me but if you do the first thing you need to know is that I'm _always right_." He grinned at me with a set of perfect white teeth.

"Well then, you and I are going to have a problem." I smirked back.

He chuckled and got to his feet. "Night, Ava, you look like you could do with some sleep." He stepped in, to bend down a drop a kiss on my forehead leaving me in stunned silence.

"Goodnight, Kyle." I whispered into the darkness a little too late.

Damn. I'd gotten attached. I'd been around humans for less than 10 hours and I'd already gotten attached to 3 and re-attached to another.

_Super_.

Well done, Ava.

But.

But, if this was such a bad thing why did I feel so … happy? According to everything I'd ever thought, every hypothesis, theory and philosophy I'd ever lived by I had weakened myself by four but I'd never felt stronger in my 14 years 11 months and 16 Days. Huh.

Realising my belongings were still in the hospital, I rose to my feet and snuck down the dark caves quietly questioning all my life choices. It was a good job I wasn't scared of the dark as there was next to no light in the corridors and I could see there was only marginally more up ahead. I just entered the octopus-like branching of passageways when a shout interrupted my reverie.

"HEY!"

**Authors Notes -**

**- These are my first authors notes and i won't put them for every chapter, just ones i feel like i need to explain something. :)**

**- I chose for Kyle to be the O'Shea Ava connected with first because it seemed more fitting for her character and it was nice to see a more brotherly side to his character imparticularly.**

**- The character coming up in the next chapter is going to be very important. I do not own the host or the inspiration for this character either.**

**- Also, the Doc/Ava relationship was important because it was kind of symbolising how Ava changed again after the Souls came. And, reading the book Doc kind of reminds me of a childhood doctor I had and as the amazing Stephanie Meyer never specifies Doc's home (****_i think_****) he was nice and easy to work into it and I also thought Ava would need some form of comfort in the caves as Jared would be too involved with Mel and given her history she wouldn't have trusted them.**

**- Lastly, Speaking of Jared I know it's very unlikly Jared would leave Mel volentarily but it was either that or half kill Ava trekking across the desert. ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

At first I thought it was Kyle again but before I realised it wasn't the mystery person had me two feet off the floor pinned against the cave wall with only one of his arms. I hit my head on the solid wall and immediately felt dizzy. All the air in my lungs rushed out at once in a surprisingly loud scream. He used his other hand to cover my mouth but it was so big it covered most of my face so I couldn't see as well as breathe. He was shouting things at me, I could feel his hot breath on the portion of my face that wasn't covered; I couldn't make anything coherent from them, though, as my brain couldn't function.

I couldn't think anymore and my lungs were screaming for oxygen but my small hands were completely ineffectual against the arm across my throat. I struggled limply against the wall, my movements becoming less and less energetic. Why did everyone want to strangle me today? Just as this thought crossed my mind my earlier attacker entered the scene.

"Gale, dammit! Get off her!" Kyle bellowed from the other side if the fork.

"Kyle how the hell did it get in?" the man shouted back.

"_It _is my sister now let her go!"

"What?" but Gale however, had hesitated a minute too long. _Thunk!_ Kyle's fist made contact with the man and he released me. I fell to the ground in a heap gasping for air.

"Christ almighty Kyle what was that for?" Gale huffed rubbing his stomach but Kyle wasn't listening.

"You okay Ava?" he asked me quietly helping me to my feet. I nodded my head a bit too fast and increased my headache immensely.

"Ow." I clutched at the material of his sleeve as a restraint more than a support. I think Kyle had a predisposition to over react.

That was when the footsteps started, not a lot about 4 or 5 I would've said but my head was still pounding so it was hard to be sure. I must have woken them up; sound must travel easily in these echo-prone caves. I looked around to discover the ones I'd woken were all from the third from left tine – the one we were directly in front of. Jared, Doc, Wanda, Ian and a tanned girl I hadn't met yet were all grouped in the fork, taking us in. They all understood what had happened immediately - almost as if they'd walked in on scenes like this a hundred times before - and their expressions all settled into matching scowls.

"For the love of god!" Doc exclaimed exasperated. Everyone simultaneously looked at him with shocked expressions; I supposed Doc never spoke like that in here just like he never had at the hospital. Doc didn't notice though, he had come over to where Kyle and I were stood.

"Gale, we know your new here but you need to have more faith in our security system just because you see someone you don't immediately recognise doesn't mean you kill now ask questions later!" the unknown girl chastised the big man, her voice was vaguely familiar.

"… Wasn't … his fault," I breathed in a barely audible voice. "Probably didn't … look great … from where … was standing … should've … waited … until morning…" It was true; I would have done the same thing, maybe worse he was just protecting his home and the people in it.

"Ava, that's really not the point. Even if you were a Soul or a Seeker even, he still shouldn't have tried to kill you. That's not how it works here." Ian explained taking Wanda's hand subconsciously.

"I know, I gathered that." I said nodding to Wanda. I had noticed when I'd first met her that she was one of the Souls Jared had told me lived here and I'd seen her eyes too, but I knew Souls weren't bad creatures and in my eyes if there was one here they must be trusted. "All I'm saying is I probably would've done the same thing so don't blame him."

"She's worse than Wanda." the unrecognised girl muttered. Some people chuckled. Jared - who I now noticed was half dressed – walked over to the girl to put his arms around her – oh, Mel.

I searched for my hands and saw they were still clutching to Kyle's arm so tightly that my knuckles had turned even whiter than usual. I let go and shook the blood back into them feeling the prickles on my palms but even that tiny movement threw me off balance and I wobbled precariously. Kyle steadied me again and the look in Ian's eyes made me feel instantly guilty when I remembered how I'd reacted when he tried to help me up when I'd fallen over earlier. Family was complicated.

I woke the moment the first lights of dawn seeped through the many cracks of my room's ceiling. My headache was thankfully gone; Doc had treated me with some No Pain but by the time he had checked I wasn't concussed and was satisfied for me to be able to sleep it was ridiculously late. I would have had at least 5 ½ hours' sleep if I was somewhere familiar but new places make me uneasy and having been strangled twice in one night I had barely slept at all. Nevertheless, I felt wide awake.

I dressed quickly into a pair of denim shorts, an old football jersey and the walking shoes the hospital had kitted me out with. Rifling through the ruck sack Maddy gave me I found a hair brush and tied my hair up into a high pony tail. It was much hotter here than in the city. Desert temperature was going to be hard to get used to. It was already uncomfortably hot but thanks to the Soul's advanced genetic alteration experiments I hadn't sweated because of heat since I was eight.

I made my way through the caves, following the path we took from the kitchens last night in reverse, trying to look as at ease as I could to avoid a repeat of last night's incident. The smell of food helped guide me too, I was ravenous, without No Pain my stomach rumbled painfully trying to jump out of my body towards the food but I didn't run; I wanted to look like I had some kind of self-control. I hadn't given a very strong first impression yesterday and I didn't want to look weak even I was starting to think I was.

I was relieved to find only a handful of people in the mess hall, almost all of which I knew. Jeb, Doc and Sharon were all speaking animatedly leaning against a counter and didn't seem to notice me enter. I couldn't name any of the men in the group of 3 further down than Jeb's, but closest to me there was a group I could name everyone accept one. Melanie and Wanda both sat on a man-made counter, to Melanie's left Jared was standing and to Wanda's right was Ian, (standing he was still taller than her sitting on the high counter) next to him a small girl with pretty, dark hair and eyes watched fearfully as Kyle was play fighting with Jamie. The group were all chuckling with the pair apart from Wanda the Soul and the girl I didn't know.

I walked apprehensively over to them not sure whether or not I was welcome. Jared noticed me first and smiled – that was new.

"Ava, you're up early we were going to let you lie in a bit." He greeted me.

Kyle and Jamie stopped to look at me as did everyone else, Jamie's face flushed with embarrassment and he returned to his half eaten breakfast. Most of them smiled – sort of – I wasn't really looking; I was feeling self-conscious. Kyle walked over to meet me halfway and slung his arm over my shoulders to guide me to the little gathering, he was treating me as he would Kayleigh, I wasn't sure if I liked that or not but I didn't object, it felt nice.

"Ava, this is Sunny," he said introducing me to the dark haired girl. Sunny that was an interesting name, Rose had known someone called Sunny, not Sunny exactly, it was a Soul who just shortened her name to Sunny for easy communication. This Sunny, looked at me kindly but looked a bit hurt at the same time, she must be Kyle's partner. Did she know we were related yet? _Related_, that was new too. That was when; I detected a little glint of light on her eyes and noticed the almost invisible sliver film that was a little bit more noticeable on her darker eyes. She was a Soul too. Did falling in love with aliens run in the family? That was a question I never thought I'd ask.

I didn't aim the questions in my eyes at Kyle though instead, I looked at Jared. He laughed and shook his head.

"Sharp as a tack," he remarked taking another bite of the bread roll in his hand.

"Yes, I might have to reconsider school, for you kiddo." Jeb said from his position, he had been watching us.

"School?" I asked him.

**Authors Notes -**

**- Just a few, sorry about all the POV changes in the last few chapters but i had to look at some of the situations from peoples point of views other than Ava's.**

**- Yes, Gale. He is inspired by Suzanne Collins character Gale Hawethorne of District 12. Now The Hunger Games is actually one of my favourite Series/Books alongside the Host (obvz), Harry Potter and Twilight. However, my Gale is different, the only similarities between Collins' is probably some of his sense of humor, his first name and his appearence but thats really based on Liam Hemsworth (one of the most gorgeous men alive.).**

**- One last thing, Ava's character is no way in a million years based on me. But I don't mean it like that, I mean none of the characters I write about are like me because I like to make them unique. I particularly like Ava though because she's very strong and hard working because that's how i wanted her to be, one of the main reasons I love to write! xx**

**Thanks for reading by the way I didn't really think anyone would x**


	12. Chapter 12

"Yeah, Sharon here teaches our younger ones," Jeb explained.

"But, I was just telling him you didn't need to go because of your tutoring." Doc added clearly continuing the debate they had been having before Jeb spaced out.

"Wait, that's not fair!" Jamie suddenly exclaimed spraying his mouthful of food over everyone.

"Say it, don't spray it, Jamie." Ian laughed wiping food off himself and Wanda. The others laughed too. I didn't want to cause any arguments so I just conceded without been asked.

"It's okay, I'll go. You learn something new every day, right Doc?" I asked him rhetorically, something he used to say every time I saw him when I was younger.

"You won't though, Ava," Sharon backed Doc up (apparently to everyone's surprise). "If you have a photographic memory, nothing I can tell you will be new, you'd be a lot more use doing chores with everyone else."

"Eidetic memory," I corrected quietly. I tried to smile to show I wasn't being rude; it was just one of the tiny things I couldn't, _not _correct; like the difference between affect and effect.

"Well then I'm not going to school either! She's younger than me, it's not fair otherwise." Jamie declared.

"She's a cat's mother; use your manners you weren't dragged up." Mel reprimanded him.

"Okay, Jamie, you can quit school if you can tell me the square route of 144, the capital of Mali, the elements in water and the 19th monarch of England?" Sharon listed off in a challenging tone.

Jamie scowled.

"Ava?" Sharon raised her eyebrow at me.

I didn't know what to say, I knew all the answers but I didn't want to be hated the moment I set foot in the caves so I just told the truth. "I really don't mind going to school."

Doc shook his head "That's not what she asked Ava." Why was everyone telling me that like I didn't already know?

"Do you actually know?" Jamie asked surprised. I looked at my shoe laces. "Just tell them," he said in a rueful voice.

I took a deep breath, I was going to have to be stronger than this, "12, Timbuktu, Hydrogen, oxygen and, depending on how you're counting, Henry the eighth." I said quietly still analysing my shoelaces, I felt myself grow warm around my ears.

"Correct," Sharon said in satisfied voice.

"Okay, problem solved," Jeb said clapping his hands together. "When you've finished eating come over and we'll get started on your tour." And with that he wandered off to the group of three men whistling an indistinguishable tune that couldn't really be heard very well over the chatter rising around us.

I looked around to find the kitchen had now filled up as more people woke. Jared was right, there were loads of them! Thirty-eight humans and two, from what I'd heard harmless aliens all under one sort-of roof. I felt like skipping.

"So how'd you sleep?" Ian asked me in a half-nervous, half-awkward voice. Wanda squeezed his hand.

"Very well, thank you Ian." I replied in a similar tone smiling an awkward smile, Wanda smiled a sweet smile like she'd never felt happier.

I ate my breakfast quietly, just listening to the group to learn bits about them. They didn't ask many questions about Kyle and Ian so maybe they'd told everybody everything. This was fine with me; I didn't want to tell them about it anyway. Wanda and Sunny did ask me a few questions about Rose, and Jamie seemed to forgive me after I promised to tell him some stories about my travels, he was practically begging for me to tell him the Seeker story but Sharon told him it was time to get to class. Slowly in ones and twos they all departed for their chores until it was only Melanie, Wanda, Ian and I; they had already asked Jeb if they could come on the tour too.

We walked over to him and his dwindling group of people, Mel and Wanda talking about a story I didn't understand (probably some kind of inside joke), by the time we got to him there was only one person with Jeb at first I didn't recognise him until he spoke.

"I just wanted to apologize again for last night," _for the millionth time _I added in my head. It was true Gale had sorry a _lot _last night before I'd eventually been discharged.

"She's already accepted, against many of our better judgement, so stop badgering her." Mel voiced my thoughts for me only a bit harsher than I'd thought them.

"It's okay," I assured him quietly with a small smile for what felt like the thousandth time. I didn't know why I said anything though because anything I did say just made him look guiltier. If I had been a soul and they'd performed a separation would he of been this compassionate toward the host? I doubted it. It really hurt me how double standards worked on this planet. Even though I'd had to use violence before, I didn't enjoy it and I always tried to look for a way of avoiding it. That made me sound very Soul-y.

"Come on then, days wastin'" Jeb said and motioned for us to follow him on his tour.

The circuit of the caves with Jeb was fascinating, they were all littered with people irrigating gardens, making things for life in the caves, and cleaning and making the place suitable for inhabitation. It was amazing how they all lived in total harmony, if only the souls could see us now! Everyone contributed and everyone got their own bit back, that's how people earned a place there and I was keen to get started. It was very much like how the souls lived too. Everyone had a role, Sharon and Wanda taught (Sharon the human topics and Wanda taught an informal class about the universe), farmers, irrigators, cooks (mainly Lucina, Trudy and other women but the chore schedule changed) and Doc and Candy healed everyone they said I could help too as Doc was only learning Alien Medicine and Candy had only specialised in certain areas and the more of her real memory that came back it started to replace Summer Song's memory.

The more I saw the cleverer I thought Jeb was: the mirrors for light, the storage, the latrine and washroom. Hands down my favourite room was the river room. The light danced restlessly dappling the walls with white light and the babbling voices of the streams were possibly the most peaceful things I'd ever heard.

Jeb said this was often the case and I wasn't remotely surprised. After the tour, we helped clean the mirrors. We took it in turns to scale the ill balanced, home-made ladder and clean the dusty mirrors with a group of others and by the time we were finished Jeb congratulated everyone and told them it was time for lunch.

I had only been sitting in the kitchen for little over 5 minutes when Jamie bounded in at straight up to me with a huge grin on his face.#

"Okay, now tell me about the seekers!" he demanded a little too loudly and a few heads turned toward us but even after they returned to their previous occupation I could tell we were being eavesdropped on and I didn't want to sound brag-y.

"Um, maybe some other time Jamie," I said evasively in barely more than a whisper.

"Aw come on… you promised," he whined with surprising convincingness for someone who seemed to be constantly told what to do.

"I can tell you about my travels if you like?" I offered half-heartedly, I really didn't feel like talking about myself at all really.

"Okay then," he conceded disappointed but immediately perked up. "Have you been to Africa?"

"Where exactly do you mean, in Africa?" I questioned wanting him to talk more.

"Ghana?"

"Yes,"

"Madagascar?"

"Yes, it's beautiful there." by far one of my favourite travel destinations.

"South Africa?"

"Yes,"

"Zimbabwe?" this time it wasn't Jamie, it was Sharon.

"Um, yes." If I could of I would have blushed, I knotted my hands in my lap self-consciously.

"Egypt?" Trudy.

I nodded.

"What did you do there? I remember giving you the vaccinations but I never got to ask you about the trip." Doc chimed in.

"We visited Cairo, and the tombs and the pyramid of Giza, it was really hot, and dusty even more so than here." A few people chuckled at my unintended pun. "We rode camels and met some of the locals, there was this one woman Ami-Amen-Amnes, I can't pronounce it very well, I never tried to learn Arabic, but she was been driven out of her home with her 12 children and grandmother because of Bob's companies industrialisation on her village – we denied we even knew them we were so ashamed." It was true I had not been the proudest person on that evening.

"Is that we, you and Brenda?" Jeb asked.

"Yes, she loved to travel."

Jeb nodded knowingly. Brenda had loved to travel that's why when Bob and Maureen departed for business we would go off and explore the culture of the place.

"Where's the best place you've been?" Lily asked leaning forward with her head in her hands.

"That really depend what you mean by best, um, Australia was amazing for wildlife, the safari were just mind blowing, I loved the food in Venice and Paris and the people there are lovely too and I knew the languages so I felt more comfortable, I did like Jordan a lot until the end, Madagascar was incredible, especially at night it was like magic with the music and festivals and fireflies. But, my favourite place I've visited was Alaska, I know it's in America but it had the most beautiful landscape and some of the histories and things you can do are just … unbelievable. The main reason I love it though is because this one place we visited there for a political speech thing of Maureen's, Juneau –"

"Hey I grew up there," Gale toned in. I looked at him, I hadn't known that, but this was good he might know the story.

"Were you in the town square for the announcement when Reagan Fletcher and some protesters threw buckets of water and fish over Maureen?" that truly was one of my favourite days. Brenda and I didn't stop laughing for _days _it led to a private joke in our house when Mrs Kennedy was being particularly annoying.

Gale must have found it as funny as I had, other people were laughing too but not as hard as him.

"You were then?" I presumed giggling.

"Yes, that was my mom, my brothers and I helped!" he howled making me and everyone else laugh harder, Gale's attitude was nothing short of contagious; he was truly one of the easiest people to get on with.

It wasn't until then I realised that everyone was listening, but this was a one off, Wanda was the real teacher not me. Jeb wasn't going to add me in as the new geography teacher, I hated talking about myself.


	13. Chapter 13

The rest of that day and several others all passed without event, I didn't 'teach' during dinner again (Jeb never asked, I sensed he realised if he did he knew the answer) if there was a place someone particularly wanted to know about they would approach me during chores. Often Sharon would ask me for information on countries she'd never heard off or knew little about or she would cut out the middle man and ask me to teach geography to the other young people of the caves in their 'school'. Jamie liked talking to me at night before bed sometimes with Wanda and Sunny as they were fascinated with this planet and they were just sorry they wouldn't see more of it (and they liked hearing about Rose too). I still wondered at their seemingly impossible relationships in these caves. Maggie sometimes spoke to about something she was particularly interested in however I noticed she was often absent from large gatherings of people. Gale and I talked sometimes too but always separately from Jamie and the others, mostly about Alaska he told me more than I told him and I enjoyed it.

I got to know more of the people around me: Lucina, her two children, Isaiah and Freedom, Lily, Trudy, her husband Geoffrey, Heath, Heidi, John, Stanley, Carol, Travis, Violetta, Ruth Ann, Dean, Andy, Paige, Aaron, Brandt, Maggie … etc, etc. There were a lot of them and one of my personal goals upon arrival here was to interact with every single one of them every day, if it was just a nod, a wave, a smile or a conversation I wanted to learn about them. I wanted to learn new things even if it wasn't in school; they were all fascinating with their own unique stories and backgrounds. Of all the stories though, Mel's and Wanda's was the one that riveted me most. Mel used to be Wanda's host and they had become friends and escaped the Souls together so Mel could be with her Jared and Jamie and against all odds Wanda had found Ian too, it was like Disney to me.

As a child the only emotional bond I had made apart from with Brenda was with Walt Disney stories. I had them all and knew them by heart watching the films in particular over and over again on planes, in hotels and in my bedroom. I missed them a lot, they were my pass times but with all these jobs there wasn't really time for games. Or so I'd thought.

Jamie and I bonded over his love of stories and my surplus of them, Wanda said she was happy someone else had some because she was running out. Ian eventually got less awkward but it still seemed unnatural with him and I didn't know why. However, that all changed one morning when Jeb had an announcement during breakfast with a huge grin plastered all over his face.

"Okay, you've all been working real hard so," he paused and pulled a ball from behind his back. "Who's up for a game?"

There was a cheer of excitement as everyone quickly scarfed down the remains of their breakfast and headed toward the eastern tunnel. I couldn't help but feel a little excited too; I hadn't played soccer in _months. _When Maureen's body began staying home she had started letting the neighbourhood children play in our garden in the hope I'd come out of hiding and play with them too and there had been a group of boys from our street who would always use a lawn as a field and played soccer. I used to watch them from my room; it was the second best entertainment accessible. Then at night I'd sneak out on my own and play with the ball they left behind. With no one to play with I didn't know if I was any good but I learnt lots of tricks as well as the rules.

As I reminisced about this I accidently bumped into someone, I looked up and saw it was Gale.

I just couldn't catch a break!

I'd noticed when he wasn't feeling guilty Gale was actually a really great person to be around, he always smiled and didn't get ruffled easily, he made any situation funny and spoke the truth no matter what. His only down side however, was that before the Souls came he had a bit of a reputation when it came to girls. This didn't surprise me much (as much as I hated to admit I'd noticed) he was very good looking. He had olive-toned skin, untidy dark hair, and unexpectedly warm grey eyes, of course I'd only noticed this because with an eidetic memory you notice things, right? I really hoped I was right.

"I'm S-" he started but I cut him off.

"I swear, if you say you're sorry one more time _I _will strangle _you_."

He laughed at that, he was about a foot and a half taller than me. "Okay, I'd better stop then." He said in mock terror.

I laughed too, shaking my head, if only he knew.

We set off toward the eastern tunnel and started discussing who we thought would be the better players in the caves. It turned out Gale hadn't played soccer with everyone yet either, just a few games with Aaron, Andy and Brandt and a few others (he said they were quite good). I was just recalling all the rules and things when Gale asked:

"So, are you any good then?" he raised his eyebrow with a smirk. He wore this expression a lot around me I'd never seen him use it on anyone else.

My breath got caught in my throat before I could respond so instead he answered his own question.

"I bet you are, you're good at _everything_…" he teased nudging my ribs with his elbow. I all of a sudden felt very warm around my ears.

"I am _not._" I differed looking at the cave ceiling feeling a bit embarrassed. I always seemed to feel this way when Gale spoke to me. Like I spent all my time building up walls to stop people seeing my emotions and being strong willed and they seemed to work. But then, Gale could just come along and move them aside as if they were curtains. It worried me to no end, it made me feel weak but I couldn't bring myself to stop talking to him because I wanted to be friends with everyone.

"Are too," he countered in pretend stubbornness.

This banter continued all the way down the tunnel but I was only half there mentally. The other part of my brain debated how weak I was or how powerful the man next to me must have been for him to have such an obscene amount of power over me.


End file.
